David Brock, the conservative turned liberal advocate, has recently garnered a considerable amount of press coverage for his attacks on Fox News for, among many other things, allegedly taking over leadership of the Republican Party. What the news coverage has ignored is his use of tax-free funds for his organization, Media Matters for America (MMA), for these attacks — a form of government support for activities that clearly do not merit tax-exempt status and that as a result infringe on Fox News’ First Amendment rights.

MMA was originally established as an Internal Revenue Service Section 501(c)(3) organization, that is, an organization that can receive tax-deductible contributions to engage in educational activities. The more precise purpose was to counter alleged media bias and so to “identify occurrences of excessive bias in the American media, educate the public as to their existence, and to work with members of the media to reduce them.”

What MMA actually is doing, however, moves far afield from identifying possible bias to mounting a campaign to undermine a major media outlet and to promote the Democratic Party and progressive causes associated with it. Mr. Brock himself has described this new strategy as “a war on Fox,” an effort “to disrupt [Rupert Murdoch‘s] commercial interests” and look for ways to turn regulators against News Corp.’s media outlets.

MMA’s activities should disallow its tax-exempt status in two fundamental ways. First, IRS rulings make clear that attacks on individuals, statement of positions that are unsupported by facts and use of inflammatory language and other distortions will cost an organization its tax-free status. Second, in declaring “guerrilla warfare” on Fox as the “leader” and “mouthpiece” of the Republican Party and in developing a sophisticated Democratic-leaning media training boot camp, MMA has transformed itself into an aggressive advocate for Democratic and progressive causes and thus produced a second deviation from exempt educational activities.

Christian73 saidMedia Matters is tax-exempt because it's mission is not focused on Fox News and it points out on a bipartisan matter who is LYING. They've taken on all the liberal liars as well the conservative ones.

The fact that Fox News is so often on their hit list says more about Fox's position as an arm of the Republican Party than it does about MM.

Except for the claims the individuals working for the organization have made, your comment might be credible.

Christian73 saidMedia Matters is tax-exempt because it's mission is not focused on Fox News and it points out on a bipartisan matter who is LYING. They've taken on all the liberal liars as well the conservative ones.

The fact that Fox News is so often on their hit list says more about Fox's position as an arm of the Republican Party than it does about MM.

Except for the claims the individuals working for the organization have made, your comment might be credible.

What claims? That they are taking on Fox's history of lies, distortions of science, partisan attacks, and general role as a media arm of the Republican Party? Again, their mission is to expose lies perpetrated by the media. If Fox is the biggest liar, they are are going to be the most focused on.

Of course, using the Washington Times, which is the tabloid version of Fox News, to make your case is somewhat laughable.

Christian73 saidMedia Matters is tax-exempt because it's mission is not focused on Fox News and it points out on a bipartisan matter who is LYING. They've taken on all the liberal liars as well the conservative ones.

The fact that Fox News is so often on their hit list says more about Fox's position as an arm of the Republican Party than it does about MM.

Except for the claims the individuals working for the organization have made, your comment might be credible.

What claims? That they are taking on Fox's history of lies, distortions of science, partisan attacks, and general role as a media arm of the Republican Party? Again, their mission is to expose lies perpetrated by the media. If Fox is the biggest liar, they are are going to be the most focused on.

Of course, using the Washington Times, which is the tabloid version of Fox News, to make your case is somewhat laughable.

Yep, because that invalidates all their claims. Fox isn't subsidized by tax dollars. And for as much as you think Fox is biased or all about the lies, they're nowhere as bad as MSNBC and the perpetual lies of omission from other news outlets.

Christian73 saidMedia Matters is tax-exempt because it's mission is not focused on Fox News and it points out on a bipartisan matter who is LYING. They've taken on all the liberal liars as well the conservative ones.

The fact that Fox News is so often on their hit list says more about Fox's position as an arm of the Republican Party than it does about MM.

Except for the claims the individuals working for the organization have made, your comment might be credible.

What claims? That they are taking on Fox's history of lies, distortions of science, partisan attacks, and general role as a media arm of the Republican Party? Again, their mission is to expose lies perpetrated by the media. If Fox is the biggest liar, they are are going to be the most focused on.

Of course, using the Washington Times, which is the tabloid version of Fox News, to make your case is somewhat laughable.

Yep, because that invalidates all their claims. Fox isn't subsidized by tax dollars. And for as much as you think Fox is biased or all about the lies, they're nowhere as bad as MSNBC and the perpetual lies of omission from other news outlets.

Media Matters receives no government money. If we were to hold right-leaning groups to this laughable standard, there would be no right-wing nonprofits.

And I've yet to see a single claim by MSNBC proven false that they themselves did not issue a retraction of. Journalists can make mistakes, what Fox News does is something quite different.